Feeding mechanism for conditioning-machines.



E. K. ATWOOD.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR CONDITIONING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEEL-5.1917.

I. ,Q53,%3 Patented J an. 15, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

. E. K. ATWOOD.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR CONDITIONING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5. 19!].

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

33 ear:

Ear?) K.

Patented J an. 15, 1918..

. EARL 1;. a'rwoon, or wnrnnvmrin vmrnn rnnmive yrncnmvrs vr FOB, conmrro vInG- AcHmns.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jan, 15;, 1 918.

Application filed February 5, 1917; Serial N9. 147,242.

To all whomz't may concern:

Be it known that I, EAR A'rwoon, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of W'atervillo, in the county of Kennebec and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful. improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Conditioning- Machines, of which the following is a specification.

In order to prepare filling yarns for the loom it is now almost the universal practice in mills to deliver the bobbins of filling yarn to a conditioning machine, such, for instance, as that shown in U. S. Patent- 91,0.602,issued Jan. 26, 1909, to H. F. Straw.

This conditioning machine is provided with a traveling apron upon which thebobbins rest while being subjected to a super saturated atmosphere of a comparatively uniform temperature, and the general practice is to deliver the bobbins by hand to the apron from a table at one end of the machine, or from the bobbin box when raised by a chain fall to a point adjacent said table. This was very objectionable as it required an expensive man to do this particular work, and owing to the fact that the work so hard it has been difficult to get men to do it or keep at it whenonce obtained.

There is another objection to feeding by hand due to the fact that the operators were liable to feed too fast or too slow and consequently the yarn on the bobbins would not be properly conditioned, and oftentimes this required the use of more steam'and water thanwas actually necessary.

The object of the present invention is to overcome these difficulties and provide a uniform feed to the apron of the conditioning machine.

'The invention consists ofa hopper into which the bobbins to be conditioned may be dumped from the bobbin boxes, said hopper having a movable bottom and atone end an inclined ribbed" apron adapted to separate the bobbins from the mass within said hopper and deliver them to the traveling apron of the conditioning machine,

For the purpose of illustrating the invention one preferred form thereof isillustrated in the drawings, this form having been found to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which the invention consists can be variously arranged and organized, and that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities -as hereinshown and .describedf Of the drawings} I Figure 1 repress ts an elevation of an apparatus embodying the principles of the present invention, and showing a portionbf one end of a conditioning machine. i

Fig. 2 represents a transverse vertical sectionof same on line 2-2 on Fig. 1. i

Fig. 3 represents a longitudinal vertical section of same on line-3 3 onl ig. 2, and i Fig. i represents a horizontal sectioiibn nae i e on Fig. 3.

Similar characters designate like parts throughout the several figures of th e drawlugs.

In the drawings, 10 represents the receiving end of a conditioning machine; said machine being provided with traveling apron 11, as indicated in'Fig. 3 of the drawings. acent to the end'of said inachine 10 is positioned a hopper 12 having a vertical end 13 and two vertical sides '14:. The end 13 is reinforced by means of" a frame l, to which isisecur ed a strap 16 provided with downwardly extending feet 17 by which said strap may be secured .tofthe floor by means of bolts 18.

The sides 14: have upwardly inclined extension 19 which are parallel to each other and are adaptedto fit in betweent he sides 20 of the receiving end ofthe conditioning machine 10. The upperends oftheeXtensions 19 are provided with bearings in which rotate the shaft 21 having a roll22 secured thereto between said extensions. The sides let are also provided with bearings'in which revolves a shaft 23 having a roll "24" thereon.

Mounted upon the rolls'22 and 24 is an endless apron 25 to theouter' face of'whi'ch are secured a plurality of triangularwooden cleats 26, the front face of each of which ,hasseoured thereto a metal plate 27. [Secured tothe sides liand the extensions 19 are inwardly extending inclined flanges 28 extending over. the portions. of said apron 25;

The upper marginal portions of the sides fl toutas .29 nd said d s'have cured to the inner faces thereof the inclined flanges 30. Beneath the flanges 30 is located the endless belt 31 mounted upon drums 32 secured to revoluble shafts 33 and 34.

The shaft 33 has secured to one end a driving pulley 35 and to the opposite end thereof a sprocket wheel 36 which is con nected by means of a sprocket chain 37 with the sprocket wheel 38 secured to the shaft 34. The shaft 34 also has secured thereto a pulley 39 connected by a belt 40 with a small pnlley41 secured tothe outer end of the shaft 23. By means of the driving pulley 35 motion is imparted-to the chains 37 and belt 40 in the direction of the arrows on Fig. 1 of the drawings. Y L

This driving mechanism causes the apron 25 and the belt 31 to be moved in the direction of the arrows on Fig. 3 of the drawings. It is obvious that the driving mechanism is'so constructed that the apron 25 travels considerably faster than the belt 31. The belt 31 has secured thereto a plurality of wooden strips 42 extending transversely of said belt-and flush with the upper face of said strips is a transverse member 43 secured at opposite. ends to the sides 14-14. I

' Secured to this cross member 43 is a curved plate 44 extending downwardly ad j acent to the outer edges ofthe cleats26-27.

The cleats 26 and 27 are all secured to the apron 25 with their outer ends adjacent to the inner edges of the inclined flanges 30, and all of the cleats are at regular intervals apart. These cleats, however, are made of various lengths, some, such as 45 extending clear'across the apron, while others, such as 46, extend more than halfway across, while still others, such as 47, extend inwardly only a short distance, thus leaving irregular spaces on the apron 25 entirely free from cleats. V I

\Vhen the bobbins are dumped into the hopper 12 they rest upon the movablebottom 31-42, and as this moves in the direction of the arrow on Fig. 3 of the drawings, the bobbins are carried over the upper .hopper 12 are permitted to drop down between said member and the supporting member 24. .These bobbins will be carried up- Copies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents wardly with the apron by the longer cleats below said irregularspaces.

' By means of this device some of the bobbins are continuallybeing separated from the mass of bobbins in the hopper 12 and carried by the apron 25 at a uniform speed to the conditioning machine 10. i

When this apparatus is used in connection with a conditioning machine the high 'cost of labor is dispensed with, the only man required about the machine being one to take away the cases of yarn as they become filled after going through the conditioning machines, and this man is capable of looking after several'machines.

It isbelieved that the operation and many advantages of this invention will be fully understood from the foregoing description.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: a

1.111 a deviceof the class described, a hopper having side walls; a movable bottom therefor; an inclined'movable apron at one end of said hopper; and transverse cleats ofvarious lengths onsaid inclined apron extending inwardly with their outer ends adjacent thelnner faces of said side walls.

2.'In a deviceof the class described, a

3. In a device of the class described, a

hopper; a movable bottom tl1erefor;'aninclined movable apron atone end of said hopper and transverse cleats of various lengths on said inclined apron and extends ing from the sides of said apron.

4. In a device of the'class described, a hopper having side walls; a movable bottom therefor; an inclined movable apron at one end of said hopper; a plurality of transverse cleats on said inclined apron and extending from one side wall'to the other; and other transverse cleats of various lengths interposed between the first mentioned cleats with their outer ends adjacent to said-side walls andtheir inner ends staggered.

Signed by'my at VVaterville, Maine, this 20th day of January, 1917. I 7 EARL K. ATWOOD. -Witnesses-: Y

K. M, CHAsE,

T. Wrens.

each,.1:y addressing the Commissioner of ratent Washington, D. C. V 1 I 

